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Tony Norman: Romare Bearden’s work is like looking into the face of a dear friend
On Sunday, a talented and well-established fellow traveler left town after a leisurely visit. “Romare Bearden: Artist as Activist and Visionary,” a retrospective on the late, great artist’s work, occupied a mid-sized wing of the Frick Pittsburgh in Point Breeze for four-and-a-half months. Though steeped in the compositional strategies of American and European modernism, Bearden’s work is usually specific about the toil, trouble and triumph of the 20th-century African-American experience. Gazing at Bearden’s paintings, lithographs and mixed media canvases is like looking into the face of a dear friend still capable of singing the blues and the old prison work songs with gusto. There’s a jazziness to everything Bearden ever created. Though primarily a painter, Bearden was a historian on the canvas who saw parallels between The Great Migration and other voluntary and forced relocations throughout American and world history.
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Kimberly Clark-Baskin sworn in as Pittsburgh's city clerk
Pittsburgh City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to appoint Kimberly Clark-Baskin as city clerk. Clark-Baskin, a former assistant city clerk, has served as acting clerk since her predecessor Brenda Pree left the post last month. “I look forward to continuing to work with you all and paving a new lane for this council, for myself and for the clerk’s office,” Clark-Baskin told council members. Her three-year appointment takes effect immediately. Magisterial District Judge James Motznik swore her in during Tuesday’s City Council meeting. JULIA FELTON | Tuesday, Sept. 13, 2022 2:31 p.m.
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Maisha Howze shows vulnerable side in new self-help book
When times get tough, do you tend to hold it all inside? If you do, you’re not alone. Pittsburgh native Maisha Howze has been working in the social services field for more than 20 years, and she knows that most people, especially in the African American community, do not want to show vulnerability or admit that they aren’t feeling right. That’s why she’s written a self-help book designed to give people the strength to outwardly express their problems and then, begin the self-healing process. The book is entitled, “W.A.S.H. (Withstand All Strife to Heal), Time To Do YOUR Laundry.” The official book release signing and party was held at Arnold’s Tea on the North Side, Oct. 26.
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Kai Roberts faced a mental health crisis in college. Now he advocates against barriers to treatment
Kai Roberts (Pittsburgh Schenley graduate) was 17 years old when he entered Carnegie Mellon University in 2010 on a full tuition grant. By sophomore year, he began experiencing bizarre symptoms — heart palpitations, sleepless nights, intrusive thoughts and unexplained fears. The next summer, his symptoms worsened. Just one month into his junior year, he was experiencing repeated panic attacks. As his fears escalated, he knew it was time to figure out what was going on and to do something about it. In an urgent call to his mother, Kai told her
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The accolades keep coming for Pittsburgh artist Njaimeh Njie
The fellowship program furthers Duquesne’s signature partnership with the August Wilson House. Fellows are invited to create work that can be showcased in Wilson’s childhood home and the Hill community. They also have access to Duquesne’s resources for scholarly research and public programs and conduct classroom presentations and programs that are hosted on and off campus. Duquesne and the August Wilson House are piloting the fellowship program with two fellows per academic year for three years, with the goal of sustaining the program thereafter, according to the university. Read more at the New Pittsburgh Courier, The accolades keep coming for Pittsburgh artist Njaimeh Njie
